Mozart's 'Marriage of Figaro' Overture
Five minutes to spare? That’s all it takes for a dazzling 18th-century escape. Today’s joy: 4 minutes, 27 seconds
I have been thinking for a while about this new musical project: Classical Music on 15 Minutes a Day.
It could technically be Classical Music on 5 Minutes a Day because there are so many great things to listen to that are actually only 5 minutes long, and I would like to start with some of them.
However you really need 15 minutes. You need to take just a bit of time to get by yourself, step away from your day, breathe. You cannot just grab five minutes in the middle of everything. Maybe you need five minutes to get ready and quiet yourself, then five minutes to listen to the music, then five minutes to listen to it again.
Everyone is so busy, it is a challenge to carve out the time and listen to music. This is a solution we can have fun with.
What to start with??
Ah! I have it! Let’s listen to the overture to Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro.”
There will be a lot of songs and opera in the offing, however I think keep things simple at first, and start with orchestral. This overture is such a winner. You can pretty much grab any video. I am not going to overthink things.
I have a prejudice toward videos that do not show you an orchestra. I do not want to be distracted by closeups of the flutist and the bassist or the conductor or whatever. I just want to listen.
“The Marriage of Figaro” could be my favorite opera of all time. It is hard to say because when you try to name your, say, top 5, it gets like apples and oranges. If you do not know this opera or its story, please do not worry about that, at least for now. It is a sex comedy, is what it comes down to, about an unhappily married countess whose husband is cheating on her and, most recently, chasing her maid. Of course with Mozart things always wind up being more than the sum of their parts. You wind up crying at the end of this opera without knowing exactly why. It is just so beautiful.
I read somewhere that the tangled-up action of “The Marriage of Figaro” all takes place on Midsummer Day. I would have to check that, however it does all take place on one long, crazy day.
The overture reflects that spirit. It does not quote actual themes from the opera — it is more about the mood. The music pulls you right in. It starts out with this breathless melody that, I do not know how anyone would have come up with it, but Mozart did. It takes flight from there, and it is over in a flash. The last phrases of the overture, sparkling and cascading, make me think of 18th century fountains. I don’t want to say anything more. In case there is anyone who has never heard this, I want to leave your thoughts free. And if you have heard this overture thousands of times, as I have, I want you to be free just to enjoy it again.
Let’s just make time in our day to listen to this music.
To bask in it!
Such a great opera! Just a quirky memory— you lip-sinking to a don giovanni opera. Opera karaoke should be a thing … ( maybe it is somewhere?)
Thank you for that reminder, Mary! I've been searching for a piece of music to get myself back into playing the piano again. Mozart has written so many tasty bits for piano, I think it's a good place to start. This is a reminder that there is an endless treasure chest of musical pieces to dive into and experience, whether playing, or watching a video, or simply listening to.